¹⁰ Mary and Joseph found the village to be crowded. Others had arrived to register before them, so there was no space for them at the lodging room.b They had no choice but to settle down for the night in a stable. We can just imagine Joseph’s concern as he saw his wife suffering a sharp discomfort she had never known, which then intensified. Here, of all places, her birth pangs had begun.

11. (a) Why can women everywhere empathize with Mary? (b) In what ways was Jesus a “firstborn”?

¹¹ Women everywhere can empathize with Mary. Some 4,000 years earlier, Jehovah had foretold that it would be the common lot of women to suffer pain during childbirth because of inherited sin. (Gen. 3:16) There is no evidence to suggest that Mary was any exception. Luke’s account draws a discreet curtain of privacy around the scene, saying simply: “She gave birth to her son, the firstborn.” (Luke 2:7) Yes, her “firstborn” had arrived​—the first of Mary’s many children, at least seven in all. (Mark 6:3) This one, though, would ever stand apart. Not only was he her firstborn but he was Jehovah’s own “firstborn of all creation,” the only-begotten Son of God!​—Col. 1:15.

12. Where did Mary lay the baby, and how was the reality different from nativity plays, paintings, and scenes?

¹² It is at this point that the account adds a famous detail: “She bound him with cloth bands and laid him in a manger.” (Luke 2:7) Nativity plays, paintings, and scenes around the world sentimentalize this setting. Consider, though, the reality. A manger is a feeding trough, a bin from which farm animals eat. Remember, the family was lodging in a stable, hardly a place to be noted for good air or hygiene​—then or now. Really, what parents would choose such a spot for childbirth if there were any other options? Most parents want the best for their children. How much more so did Mary and Joseph want to provide the best for the Son of God!

13. (a) In what way did Mary and Joseph do their best with what they had? (b) How can wise parents today cultivate priorities similar to those of Joseph and Mary?

¹³ However, they did not let their limitations embitter them; they simply did the best they could with what they had. Notice, for instance, that Mary herself cared for the infant, wrapping him up snugly in cloth bands, then laying him carefully in the manger to sleep, ensuring that he would be warm and safe. Mary was not about to let anxiety over her present circumstances distract her from providing the best that she could. She and Joseph both knew, too, that caring spiritually for this child would be the most important thing they could do for him. (Read Deuteronomy 6:6-8.) Today, wise parents cultivate similar priorities as they bring their children up in this spiritually impoverished world.